The Audubon Societies 327 



FOR OR FROM YOUNG OBSERVERS 



A TEACHER'S EXPERIENCE IN BIRD-STUDY 



To enjoy life one should he in touch with nature. 1 tind that little extra 

 time need be spent in studying birds compared with the real enjoyment obtained. 

 When I was a child I saw and knew several of the most common birds but I 

 find since I have been teaching children that it takes only a short time for a 

 normal child, if he is properly encouraged, to know all the common local l)irds 

 and become interested in the rarer ones. 



The tirst }-ear I taught I was rather timid about starting my pupils in bird- 

 study but found, later, that it was very easy and pleasant work. That year 

 one of my pupils and I learned eighty birds that, with the exception of about 

 fifteen, were new to us. You see I was just starting, too. The next year even 

 the primary pupils learned to distinguish from twenty-five to forty-five birds, 

 and the parents became interested. I have taught three years in the country 

 schools and find I have a wonderful field of work. This last year I organized 

 an Audubon Society of twenty-five in my school. Besides the pamphlets of 

 the Audubon Society I use the small bird pictures put out by the Church and 

 Dwight Co., New York City, and some small pictures put out by Brown & Co., 

 Beverly, Mass., which I find a great help, especially when I need a wide variety 

 of illustrations with small expense. They aid in studying the Audubon Leaflets 

 and I found my pupils enjoyed having smaller pictures to refer to in place of 

 soiling their larger pictures from the Audubon Society by frequent handling. 



This year I have found many interesting species of birds and my pupils have 

 found even more than I. After our spring vacation we found a Flicker had 

 built a nest in the roof of our schoolroom. From our windows we saw many 

 different birds. We did not need to search for them as there were many trees 

 near the schoolhouse. This year I have noticed many more of the same kind 

 of birds than ever before. It may be that with better education the birds are 

 protected. I have not searched for nests this spring but have found many 

 without effort. 



I still expect to enlarge my bird list this year and hope that I may again 

 become acquainted with the Warblers and birds which stay here only through 

 the migratory period and which I missed this spring because I was unable to 

 spare time enough when they were here. — Ruth H. Martin, Canton, Ills. 



[Teachers who have never tried bird-study in their schools little know the results that can 

 V>c obtained with little effort. It is not necessary to know many birds in order to make a 

 beginning. Miss Martin's experience is almost sure to be theirs. A. A. A.] 



A BIRD TRAGEDY 



The rain came down in torrents, drowning out all other sounds. It had 

 been storming for nearly half an hour, when suddenly came a blinding flash of 



